Drain plug



v. K. RATH DRAIN PLUG Filed Oct. 12', 1961 IMIE? E E ma mww w 1, F f m E 2 F Z M June 1963 INVENTOR.

- VIRGIL K. RATH gw fim TORNEY United States Patent 3,094,712 DRAIN PLUG Virgil K. Rath, 112 S. Pearl St, .lauesville, Wis. Filed Get. 12, 1961, Ser. No. 144,789 3 Claims. (Cl. 4-295) This invention relates to drain plugs, and more particularly drain plugs which fit within sink drains and similar liquid drain openings to provide a liquid seal.

It is a primary object of my invention to provide a drain plug which provides a positive liquid-tight seal with the drain opening, and which may be quickly and easily 1nserted within and withdrawn from the opening.

It is a further object of my invention to provide an inexpensive drain plug for a sink or similar vessel having a drain fitting, which plug is compressible against the sides of the drain fitting by the liquid contained within the vessel to provide a liquid-tight seal.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed explanation taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the principles of the invention has been selected for exemplification.

FIG. 1 is a section view of my drain plug engaged within a sink drain to prevent the discharge of liquid.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the drain plug of my invention.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the drain plug of my invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, in which like numbers refer to like parts, FIG. 1 shows a portion of a sink having a floor 11 with a drain opening 12. A drain fitting 13 having a drain outlet 14 extends downward through the sink drain opening 12. The drain fitting 13 has substantially cylindrical, downwardly extending sides 15 and may be threaded to facilitate the engagement of plumbing drain pipes (not shown).

My novel drain plug 16 has a resilient, preferably frustoconical outer body 17 having a base end 19 and an upper end 18 of greater diameter than the base end. An annular ring 20 extends outwardly from the outer periphery 21 of the outer body 17 near the outer body upper end 18, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The annular ring 20 resembles the outer half of an O ring gasket and is adapted to engage the cylindrical sides 15 of the drain fitting 13 in liquid-tight relation. The annular ring 29 and the outer body outer periphery 21 are compressed outward against the drain fitting cylindrical sides 15 in liquid-tight relation by the outward force exerted against the inner periphery 22 of the outer body 17 by the liquid 28 within the sink 10, as shown in FIG. 1. It is important that the outer body 17 be sufiiciently resilient to be readily compressible by the liquid 28.

My drain plug 16 also has a center section 23 extending inwardly from the outer body base end 19. The center section 23 preferably extends upwardly in a substantially conical manner, and has an upwardly extending handle 24 at its apex 23a. The handle 24 may have at its upper end 25 a metal cap 26 to which a chain 27 may be attached for easy removal of the plug from the drain fitting 13. The metal cap 26 may be pressed on the handle upper end 25, to be maintained in tight relation by the outward pressure of the compressed handle 24.

In use, my drain plug 16 may be easily engaged within the drain fitting 13 with a minimum of effort, since in its normal uncompressed state the frustoconical outer body 17 will pass easily Within the cylindrical sides 15 of the drain fitting 13 in sliding contact. The drain plug 16 is usually placed at the bottom of the drain fitting 13 as shown in FIG. 1, but it is only necessary that the plug 16 be inserted within the fitting 13 sufiiciently far to allow the annular ring 20 to engage the fitting cylindrical sides 15.

It should be noted that the effectiveness of the plug 16 3,094,712 Patented June 25, 1963 does not depend upon the amount of force with which it is pressed into and against the drain fitting 13. The annular ring 20 initially presses lightly against the sides 15 of the fitting. Such a light contact is suflicient to retain the first small amounts of liquid 28 which enter the sink 10. As the quantity of liquid 28 within the sink 10 increases, the pressure of the liquid against the inner periphery 22 of the outer body 17 increases proportionately, and the outer body 17 and the annular ring 20 are pressed outward to engage the drain fitting cylindrical sides 15 more tightly, as shown in FIG. 1. Therefore, as the amount of liquid 28 within the sink 10 increases, the efiectiveness of the liquid-tight seal provided by my drain plug 16 correspondingly increases.

When it is desired to drain the liquid 28 from the sink 10 it is only necessary to exert an upward force on the handle 24 and the drain plug 16 may be easily disengaged from the sink drain fitting 13. The upward force exerted on the handle 24 is transferred by the conical center section 23 to the outer body base end 19 as an angular force having both upward and inward components. The outer body 17 is, therefore, pulled both inwardly and upwardly by the center section 23 and is relatively easily disengaged.

It is apparent that my invention is susceptible to many modifications and variations. For example, the sink drain fitting 13 could have upwardly and outwardly tapered sides and the drain plug could accordingly be more tapered to engage the modified fitting. The center section 23 and handle 24 of my drain plug 16 might also be of a diiferent configuration without adversely affecting the principle of my invention.

It is therefore understood that the present invention is not confined to the particular arrangement and construction of parts herein illustrated and described, but embraces all such modified forms thereof as come within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A drain plug for use in a vessel adapted to contain a quantity of liquid and having a drain fitting with downwardly extending sides comprising, a substantially entirely entirely frustoconical hollow outer body having a Wall of a thin, resilient and expansible material, the upmr end of said Wall being of greater circumference than the base of said wall, sealing means extending around the outer periphery of said wall near said upper end for contacting the downwardly extending sides of said drain fitting when said plug is placed within said fitting, and an integral center section having an upper surface extending inwardly and upwardly from said base of said wall within said outer body so as to form a handle for removal of said plug from said drain.

2. The plug of claim 1 wherein said sealing means comprises an annular ring integral with and extending outwardly from said outer body above said base, the outer diameter of said annular ring being the widest portion of said plug.

3. The plug of claim 1 wherein said integral center section is formed by a conical wall extending upwardly from the base of said outer body with the handle extending upwardly from the apex of said conical Wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 442,626 Keane Dec. 16, 1890 1,187,221 Youdelman June 13, 1916 2,487,635 Carpenter Nov. 8, 1949 2,643,394 Wood June 30, 1953 2,737,205 Stringfield Mar. 6, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 133,456 Australia July 5, 1949 

1. A DRAIN PLUG FOR USE IN A VESSEL ADAPTED TO CONTAIN A QUANTITY OF LIQUID AND HAVING A DRAIN FITTING WITH DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING SIDES COMPRISING, A SUBSTANTIALLY ENTIRELY ENTIRELY FRUSTOCONICAL HOLLOW OUTER BODY HAVING A WALL OF A THIN, RESILIENT AND EXPANSIBLE MATERIAL, THE UPPER END OF SAID WALL BEING OF GREATER CIRCUMFERENCE THAN THE BASE OF SAID WALL, SEALING MEANS EXTENDING AROUND THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF SAID WALL NEAR SAID UPPER END FOR CONTACTING THE DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING SIDES OF SAID DRAIN FITTING WHEN SAID PLUG IS PLACED WITHIN SAID FITTING, AND AN INTEGRAL CENTER SECTION HAVING AN UPPER SURFACE EXTENDING INWARDLY AND UPWARDLY FROM SAID BASE OF SAID WALL WITHIN SAID OUTER BODY SO AS TO FORM A HANDLE FOR REMOVAL OF SAID PLUG FROM SAID DRAIN. 